Mahabharata 7.43.8 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 43, Shloka 8
अभिमन्योर् दारुणः संमर्दः
Abhimanyu’s fierce melee amid chariot formations
द्रुपदं पज्चभिस्ती3्ष्णै: सप्तभिश्न शिखण्डिनम् | केकयान् पज्चविंशत्या द्रौपदेयांस्त्रिभिस्त्रिभि:
drupadaṁ pañcabhiḥ tīkṣṇaiḥ saptabhiś ca śikhaṇḍinam | kekayān pañcaviṁśatyā draupadeyāṁs tribhis tribhiḥ ||
তিনি দ্রুপদকে পাঁচটি তীক্ষ্ণ বাণে, শিখণ্ডীকে সাত বাণে, কেকয়দের পঁচিশ বাণে এবং দ্রৌপদীর পুত্রদের প্রত্যেককে তিনটি করে বাণে আঘাত করলেন।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the impartial harshness of war: lineage, reputation, and alliance do not shield anyone once battle is joined. It implicitly invites reflection on kṣatriya-duty and the moral cost of conflict, where skill and resolve can become instruments of widespread suffering.
Sañjaya reports a sequence of precise strikes in the battle: Drupada is hit with five sharp arrows, Śikhaṇḍin with seven, the Kekaya contingent with twenty-five, and each of Draupadī’s sons with three arrows—depicting a warrior’s rapid, targeted assault on key Pāṇḍava allies.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.